New York, NY —

This morning, state and city environmental officials will announce that they've launched a crackdown on polluting trucks in East Harlem. WNYC's Elaine Rivera has more.

In the past 2 weeks, air quality inspectors have randomly pulled over 311 trucks in East Harlem and found that 110 failed to comply with emissions standards. Officials say that the program, launched by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, is the first of its kind.

Inspectors are targeting polluting diesel trucks that drive through the East Harlem neighborhood, where asthma rates are 4 times the national average. They have also been issuing tickets to diesel trucks and buses illegally idling. Officials estimate that 25% of the thousands of trucks that pass through the community each day are in violation of air quality regulations. Fines start at $750. For WNYC, I'm Elaine Rivera.